Have you seen the Highgate Vampire who has reportedly been spotted in the cemetery where revolutionary communist Karl Marx and TV presenter Jeremy Beadle are buried?

A spook that has terrified generations of north Londoners may be appearing on cinema screens around the world.

The spooky apparition, which appears in Highgate Cemetery where revolutionary communist Karl Marx and TV presenter Jeremy Beadle are buried, was first spotted in 1969 by David Farrant.

He said: “My first reaction was like it was so real that I actually thought it was someone dressed up or messing about because all these stories about vampires were in the news.

“It was by some branches but as soon as I turned up I was aware of something standing there and it was exuding a feeling not of evil, but menace.

“It all happened so quickly” he adds. “The whole thing lasted for four to five seconds and felt like whatever it was filled me with energy, it is difficult to explain, and suddenly it just vanished.”

He said although many people expect ghosts to be transparent, the spirit was in fact black and solid.

The vision also had two piercing bright white eyes, and although the figure is often referred to as a vampire, Mr Farrant has never said this is the case - instead it simply had the quality of a vampire as it was tall and robed in dark clothing.

According to Mr Farrant, the atmosphere felt noticeably cold while he was confronted with the spirit, like he was standing in a fridge.

Although he said he could see the figure's face, he said its features were not distinguishable and he could not put an age on the ghoul.

Mr Farrant says “dozens and dozens” of sightings have followed.

His wife Della, who is also a member of the British Psychic and Occult Society, is dedicated to recording them.

She said many, including one by a team of ghost hunters from the North London Paranormal Investigators on the night of June 20, 2012, are identical. He is often seen in pubs in Highgate and is not confined to the cemetery.

She even said one witness watched the figure float from Swain's Lane, from the east side to the west side of the cemetery, in August 2005.

The witness, who wished to remain anonymous, claims the male spirit was dressed in a three-quarter length coat and a top hat.

The figure even whispered “Good evening to you sir” to the terrified onlooker, despite him standing more than eight feet away.

David, the president of the British Psychic and Occult Society, has written several books about his experience, including In the Shadow of Highgate’s Vampire.

The phantom also makes an appearance in Granny Yaga by Vitali Vitaliev. The book is based on the Slavic folklore character Baba Yaga, a witch, and has this year been optioned by a Hollywood-based film production company.

The book, which depicts Baba Yaga residing in present-day North London, includes Highgate cemetery and the Highgate Vampire, the Crouch End Spriggan, Bloomsbury’s Atlantis bookshop - which specialises in the occult - and the ponds on Hampstead Heath, known for their hauntings.

If the film is made it will not be the first time north London locations have been used for feature films.

Highgate cemetery can be seen in Taste the Blood of Dracula, made in 1970, Tales from the Crypt from 1972 and 1974’s From Beyond the Grave.

Perhaps the best known are scenes from An American Werewolf in London, which was filmed in Hampstead Heath in 1981.

Ipsoregulated

This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here